I share my experiences in genealogy education, including taking classes at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies and preparing my BCG portfolio. I also post updates to my personal research and general genealogy news.

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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Surname Saturday - Brenton Family of Western Pennsylvania

I will have to break my promise to make my next post about my genealogy classes. The reason for this, along with my long gap in blogging, are school-related and will be explained in my next post. I'm waiting to hear back from a source at the moment.

On to the surname Brenton:
I do not know from what country my branch of the Brenton family immigrated to the United States. However, Ancestry.com indicates that most people with that name immigrated from England or Ireland. Since my first ancestor that I know of with this name lived in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, I believe it is more likely that they came from England. Ancestry.com's surname search indicates that the surname Brenton mostly likely originates from a settlement of that name near Exminster in southern Britain.

This is my ancestry as to the Brenton family:
1. My maternal grandmother Helen Ada Brenton, b. 28 Mar 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania d. 9 Feb 2008. She grew up in Brownsville, Pennsylvania and moved to the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh after she married William Frederic Joseph Fritzley. They had six children including my mother.
2. Her father was Everett Michael Brenton, b. Apr 1898 in Pennsylvania d. 1965. He married Gertrude Ada Swift 11 Sep 1920, and they went through a contentious divorce in Nov 1934.
3. His father was Johnston Playford Brenton, b. Feb 1861 in Pennsylvania d. 1931 in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He married Lena Leotta Wright in 1897.
4. His father was Isaac Brenton, b. 1834 in Pennsylvania d. 11 Jul 1879. He married Jane K. Johnston.
5. His father was Joseph Brenton b. 1792 in Pennsylvania d. unknown. His wife's name was Louisa.